Appreciating Our Veterans

MEETING WITH VETS - Congressman Jim Saxton meets with Members of the Jewish War Veterans to discuss veteran issues. The veterans traveled from New Jersey to Washington for the meeting.

VETERANS GATHERING - Congressman Saxton holds an annual veteran leaders meeting in Burlington County each year. This year’s meeting was held at Fort Dix.

ENTERTAINING MEETING - Congressman Saxton recently met with the officials from the United Service Organization, the non-profit group that entertains American service members overseas to talk about issues affecting the troops. Shown with Mr. Saxton is Edward Powell, President & CEO of USO World Headquarters.

Congressman Jim Saxton Supporting Our Veterans in New Jersey's 3rd District

Congressman Jim Saxton Supporting Our Veterans in New Jersey's 3rd District

Dear Veteran,

I'm extremely pleased to report the passage of the "Wounded Warriors Assistance Act" by the House on March 28, 2007.

Our men and women in uniform injured or wounded in the line of duty deserve not only the respect of their country, but the best medical care available. This legislation, which is now in the hands of the Senate, improves the military medical system and is responsive to the needs of our injured warriors and military families.

The bill, which passed 426-0, creates a toll-free number to call to report problems in medical support facilities. It also limits the number of cases that physical evaluation board liaison officers and medical care case managers may be assigned, to prevent them from being inundated.

I am extremely concerned about 2006 breaches of VA personal data security, in regards to the recent thefts or otherwise loss of computers. Although the stolen laptop was recovered in June 2006 (apparently with the data intact), I was disheartened to learn in early August 2006 that another theft took place, this time potentially impacting some 2,000 South Jersey vets who are service-connected disabled. Congress held a series of congressional hearings in June to consider ways to tighten security, and rest assured I will support reforms to address this unacceptable problem.

Congress is working on the 2008 budget, and funding for veterans and military retirees will be a top priority. I will work to insure adequate funding for VA claims processing, TriCare, and more reasonable co-pays for VA health care.

Locally, the coming "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" which stretches across Ocean and Burlington Counties, is slated to receive $85 million in new construction for 2008. In March 2007 at Fort Dix we broke ground for a new, $40 million-plus Army Reserve Command headquarters, the largest project ever built at Fort Dix. For McGuire, where we recently opened $80 million worth of new infrastructure to allow the base to continue its critical role in the fight against terrorism, I am working to obtain Congressional approval for $85 million in funding to prepare for new aircraft, new missions and new jobs coming as a result of BRAC actions. At Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station, we shall soon see the ground breaking of the first phase of a $70 million National Guard logistics complex.

We've been working on these projects and others on the bases for a few years, and it’s good to see them taking shape. They are necessary as we transform the three bases into a joint complex as outlined in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearings. You will see or hear about the new joint base in the news or my newsletters.

As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will continue to seek ways to better serve our military retirees and vets, and the issues that affect them their families.

Sincerely,

Jim Saxton